Also called full cousin. Also called first cousin. the son or daughter of an uncle or aunt.
one related by descent in a diverging line from a known common ancestor, as from one's grandparent or from one's father's or mother's sister or brother.
a kinsman or kinswoman; relative.
a person or thing related to another by similar natures, languages, geographical proximity, etc..
Our Canadian cousins are a friendly people.
Slang. a gullible, innocent person who is easily duped or taken advantage of.
a term of address used by a sovereign in speaking, writing, or referring to another sovereign or a high-ranking noble.
Also called: first cousin. cousin-german. full cousin. the child of one's aunt or uncle
a relative who has descended from one of one's common ancestors. A person's second cousin is the child of one of his parents' first cousins. A person's third cousin is the child of one of his parents' second cousins. A first cousin once removed (or loosely second cousin ) is the child of one's first cousin
a member of a group related by race, ancestry, interests, etc
our Australian cousins
a title used by a sovereign when addressing another sovereign or a nobleman
1250–1300; Middle English cosin < Anglo-French co ( u ) sin, Old French cosin < Latin consōbrīnus cousin (properly, son of one's mother's sister), equivalent to con- con- + sōbrīnus second cousin (presumably originally “pertaining to the sister”) < *swesrīnos, equivalent to *swesr-, gradational variant of *swesōr (> soror sister ) + *-īnos -ine 1; for -sr- > -br- cf. December
If Aunt Sally has a kid, that kid is your cousin, and if Aunt Sally's kid has a kid, and you have a kid too, then your kid and Sally's kid's kid are second cousins. A cousin is a relative that's farther from you than an immediate relation like your brother or sister, usually the child of your aunt or uncle. Depending on how many children are born into your family, you might have tons of cousins you've never even met, like your distant cousin Johnny who went wild up in Alaska. We also use cousin to describe a kind of family resemblance between things, like the way barbecue sauce is the cousin of ketchup.
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The research focused on the Seychelles warbler, a small songbird that lives on Cousin Island in the Seychelles.
From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026
“Pre-Thanksgiving-Dinner Cousin Walk,” one Instagram ad for Jif peanut butter read last year over a picture of a guy holding open his jacket with a Jif squeeze pouch tucked inside.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025
Cousin Rashad Wadood, the son of sister Aneesah Wadood, went to Lakewood, played with Cooper Kupp at Eastern Washington, and at 32 is a rising assistant coach with Oregon handling cornerbacks.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2025
Cousin Yasmeen Elagha, a law student at Northwestern University, said Israeli forces entered the family home in the communityof al-Muwasi, near the southern city of Khan Younis, around 5 a.m.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 8, 2024
Cousin Eunice twittered as she poured tea, then fell silent.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
